Ashes
by Yami Mori
Summary: One-shot: Suitengu takes a moment to reflect on the past and the sister he couldn't save. Set prior to Speed Grapher.


I hope you all enjoy the story! It's a little angsty, so be warned now. Please review and let me know what you think!

- I do not own Speed Grapher

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><p>Ashes<p>

Suitengu watched numbly as the last of his beloved sisters ashes faded away into the twilight, sparkling like pixy dust over the chaotic sea. Only the wind offered him comfort as it mournfully kissed his pale cheeks and disheveled his usually immaculate hair.

It was cold, which was preferable to the warmth of the fading sun. He was a creature of death and blood, evident in the body he now controlled and the manifestation of his euphoric abilities. The light of day was no longer his to claim, and hadn't been for a long time.

The age-old icy flame of despair and utter hatred rekindled once again in his heart and, with much practiced ease, he destroyed it with his indomitable will. The one hope in his life, the one thing that had made it possible to endure all the suffering and carnage of his past had just died, and by his own hand no less.

The touch of death that surrounded him like a potent shade had not even spared his sister, and he had used it willingly.

He didn't know what he expected to find when his vast network of informants had located Yui in the putrid slums he'd found her in. A short report about his sister had been submitted, along with her location, and the information had been anything but pleasing, to say the least. He'd heard rumors of that area where corruption thrived and the scum of the world called home, and it sickened him that his precious Yui was drowning in the filth.

He wasn't naïve enough to believe she had been spared the cruel realities of life. While awake and tormented on those restless long nights as a child soldier, it was his prayers, dreams, wishes, and his ultimate goal to get the only person in the world that mattered back and protect her that had gotten him through it all. That he would help her find that innocent and sweet smile again as they lived together, away from the people and corruption and their _God damned money_.

But the moment he'd seen her beaten, dirty, and broken on a backstreet dump of a brothel in the heart of the cities corruption and filth, those hopes and dreams he'd lived so long for were dashed.

Regardless, he'd tried, ignoring the obvious degeneration of his once bright and gentle younger sister into… this. A cheap money obsessed whore with no memory of the one person who loved her more than life itself.

The utter despair and sorrow that had crashed on him like a wave tore the Angel of Deaths heart to shreds, and he couldn't stop his tears of blood from falling from his heart-broken eyes. This was too cruel, all of it was too cruel.

Tiny whispers in his mind screamed that none of this should have happened to her, that he would gladly go back to the battlefield and sacrifice the rest of his life there if it meant that she would have been spared this devastating and ugly fate.

Even before the first drop of blood fell from his eyes, he knew what he would do for her. After entering deaths domain and returning an Angel of Death, he could feel it deep in his bones that what she desired most in life was for it all to stop. For it all to end.

And no matter how much he tried, the silver haired blood angel could not deny her unspoken plea.

As that small drop of his euphoric blood made its way into her body, the iron resolve and hope for the future crumbled as he did his best to hold onto his sanity, preparing for what he was about to do. He'd fallen to his knees and held her, giving her the one thing he hadn't been able to give her before they had been ripped away from each other. Comfort and love.

He would remember how he'd forced her heart to stop until the very day he died. Recall how that instant in time had stretched on as if for eternity as he granted her deepest wish. Her body had tensed, suddenly aware that death had finally come. He clung tightly to her body, expecting the natural struggle as she slipped from this world but … that hadn't been the case.

Yui had, instead, pressed her face into his neck as if in thanks.

He'd lost it then, unable to stop the flow of anguished blood from his eyes, and uncaring if anyone saw. He didn't care anymore. None of it mattered. He'd had to kill his beloved sister to save her from this existence, from the dark pits of humanity. Because in the end, even if he'd taken her away from this place, given her all the money in the world and made sure that no one so much as touched her again, she'd never recover. She'd never be his Yui again. She'd only be … a broken shell.

None of that had stopped a piece of him from dying with her, the piece of hope and happiness that he'd protected and clung to through the war, through the suffering, through the pain. It died with her and he couldn't stop from morning the future that would never be.

Suitengu had felt her arms twitch, but they immediately fell limp as the last vestiges of life began sliding away. This was it. She was going, finally liberated from this sick life and all he could do was hold onto her and be with her through the last of it, offer her some last form of love, even if she didn't know what it was.

"Tak … eshi…"

The intense sorrow and devastation that suddenly filled his soul more sharply than any bullet, knife, or explosion ever had, caused him to choke and sob as she died and let death keep her soul. Grief, revulsion, despair, hate, love, and a symphony of other chaotic emotions roared through him as her body, limp, remained within his loving, desperate embrace. She'd remembered. Somehow, after so long, she'd still known it was him.

He didn't stay there long. There would be time to properly morn her death later, but here in this dingy rat-house was not the place, and he would keep her here no longer.

So he'd cleaned himself up, cradled her disturbingly light body close to his chest, and walked out the building. The matron in charge of the hell hole of lust that had housed his sister gaped and he'd watched as the old woman's cheeks turned red with rage, but he ignored her. She was of no importance.

"Hey! You can't just take that slut! You have to pay for her!"

He'd stopped then, and the sorrow in his heart instantly transformed into cold hatred. Tsujido, Makabe, and Niihari were watching with attentive eyes, just waiting for the opportunity to put the woman in her place. But that was not their job, and for once he would not deny himself.

He'd motioned Tsujido over and gently placed Yui in his arms, knowing the sharp smelling man would know she was dead, that he was suppose to take care of her, and what Suitengu was about to do. Tsujido simply gave a stiff nod of understanding before he motioned for Niihari and Makabe to follow him back to the car.

Needless to say, the moment they were out of sight, the old matron had died a very slow and painful death, christened in blood.

The subsequent days had gone by as if nothing had ever happened, even if he was dead inside. He had to go on as if he hadn't liberated his sister for her pitiful life. It was the only way to maintain the growing level of power and influence he had managed to obtain through money and blood.

The only difference was, Yui wasn't there. And she never would be, now.

He'd ordered Yui's body to be cremated and a helicopter prepared to take him to a ship out at sea where he'd have one final moment with his sister's bodily remains.

And now, all that remained was a single small bone fragment resting in the palm of his hand, and a gaping void in his heart where his hopes and dreams had died.

The bloody euphoric simply regarded the bone fragment quietly for a long time. He trusted Tsujido and the others to ensure his privacy (else the deck hands were likely to be cleaning up a very … grisly mess) before slowly, anger and rage began festering like a bad wound in his heart. He didn't bother to stop it, instead choosing to embrace it. It would only help in the end.

His original plan was still being placed in motion, but now, with the death of Yui, there was nothing to stop him from bringing Japan down to its knees through their greed. A sick part of him almost felt thankful for his sisters' untimely passing. There was literally nothing stopping him from extracting his revenge, and now in the name of Yui, he would do it all for her, and now he would be ruthless.

And he would savor it.

He gently kissed the bone fragment, all that remained of Yui, before carefully tucking it into the inner pocket of his coat, right above his heart. His wishes and dreams that centered around his sister were gone, but in its place was the burning need for revenge and hate that would sustain him and, for the first time in days, Suitengu smiled ominously, and with resolved promise, as he gazed at the silver moon.


End file.
